14 March 2026

Best Builds for The Hillbilly In DbD

By newsgame

Once among the most powerful Killers in Dead by Daylight, following a string of nerfs and updates to map layouts, Max Thompson Jr. – better known as The Hillbilly – has become one of the most notoriously difficult Killers to master. With a Chainsaw that can send him sprinting over vast distances and the ability to instantly take down the Survivors he hits, The Hillbilly can create a lot of pressure for Survivors when paired with the right builds.

This guide will show Dead by Daylight players some of the most effective perks to run on The Hillbilly to fully maximize his chainsaw-wielding abilities.

Updated March 13, 2026, by Mark Sammut: As there isn’t too much to add regarding the builds, I have added a section discussing whether Max is a viable Killer option in 2026.

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The Hillbilly: Best Non-Teachable Build (2025)

dead by daylight the hillbilly best non-teachable build

Players with more limited access to other DLC may try some base kit perks to help enhance their abilities. The Hillbilly’s own Tinkerer and Enduring perks will keep track of generator progress and help resist pallet stuns. Meanwhile, Hex: No One Escapes Death will endanger Survivors in the endgame as Bitter Murmur shows their auras.

Tinkerer (The Hillbilly) – When a generator reaches 70% progress, The Killer will receive a noise notification and be granted the Undetectable status effect for 16 seconds.
Enduring (The Hillbilly) – Pallet stun duration is reduced by 50%.
Bitter Murmur (General Perk) – Each time a generator is completed, the auras of Survivors within 16 meters of that generator are revealed for 5 seconds. Once the last generator is complete, all Survivors’ auras are revealed for 10 seconds.
Hex: No One Escapes Death (General Perk) – After the final generator is completed, all Survivors suffer from the Exposed status ailment and players gain a 4% Haste effect until the Hex Totem is cleansed.

The Hillbilly: Best Build with Teachable Perks

The Hillbilly greatly benefits from perks that allow him to understand the location of multiple Survivors. Thus, Discordance is an excellent choice as he can quickly close the gap and hunt down Survivors. Due to his high mobility, Pop Goes the Weasel synergizes extremely well with The Hillbilly’s playstyle.

Bamboozle is pretty much mandatory in most builds as windows are the bane of The Hillbilly’s existence. Finally, No Way Out is always a reliable perk to bring along in any trial. It can guarantee a strong finish to the trial or salvage a miserable match to a potential victory in the endgame.

Discordance (The Legion) – Generators that are being repaired by two or more Survivors within 128 meters are highlighted in yellow. The highlight triggers a notification, and the yellow aura persists for another four seconds if the generator is no longer in range, or if only one Survivor is working on it.
Bamboozle (The Clown) – Vault speed is increased by 15%, and performing a vault will block the window for 16 seconds.
Pop Goes the Weasel (The Clown) – After hooking a Survivor, kicking a generator in the next 45 seconds will remove 30% of its current progression.
No Way Out (The Trickster) – Gain a token each time a Survivor is hooked, for a maximum of four. Once the exit gates are powered, both gates will be blocked when a Survivor interacts with either exit gate for the first time. This will trigger a notification and the duration of the block is dependent on the number of tokens, up to a maximum of 60 seconds.

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The Hillbilly: Best Add-Ons

Greased Throttle

Greased Throttle is a simple but effective add-on that has no downsides as it decreases the recovery time of the Chainsaw by 5%. It isn’t a game-breaking add-on, but it can come in handy in certain scenarios when paired with Lo Pro Chains.

The Thompsons’ Mix

The Thompsons’ Mix decreases recovery time by 10% while not in Overdrive. Pairing this up with Greased Throttle might seem like a good idea, but having 15% decreased recovery time is generally not worth it as there are far more powerful add-ons that The Hillbilly can utilize. Nevertheless, this is a good add-on to bring alongside Lo Pro Chains and Iridescent Engravings.

Dad’s Boots and Spiked Boots

Dad’s Boots and Spiked Boots serve the same purpose, with the latter having a slightly higher bonus. It increases the turn rate of the Chainsaw, which is super helpful in curving tight loops and catching Survivors off-guard. Combining both is a bit overkill, but running either of these add-ons with the Lo Pro Chains or Iridescent Engravings can turn The Hillbilly into a speedy menace.

Lo Pro Chains

Despite the nerfs to Lo Pro Chains, it remains as The Hillbilly’s best add-on due to its sheer versatility and consistency in a multitude of scenarios. Having the ability to continue the Chainsaw Sprint after breaking a pallet or breakable wall is super useful in zoning Survivors away from a loop. While it can’t down an injured Survivor, it allows The Hillbilly to easily follow up with a basic attack.

Iridescent Engravings

Another powerful add-on for The Hillbilly is the Iridescent Engravings, which increases the Chainsaw Sprint speed by 20%, at the cost of a 12% increase to Chainsaw charge time. This add-on makes The Hillbilly travel great distances in the blink of an eye, giving Survivors even less time to react to his immense speed.

Is The Hillbilly Good For Dead By Daylight Beginners?

At this point, Dead by Daylight has been around for roughly a decade, so you might assume that anybody interested has long since been part of the community. However, the game’s enduring popularity and availability on services like PS Plus Extra and Game Pass have ensured an ever-changing playerbase; even all these years later, new DBD players continue to emerge.

Once someone picks up the base game and completes the Killers tutorial, they will have to make a pretty big decision: who should they play as? All vanilla versions come with a few free original characters, and The Hillbilly is one of them. Based solely on availability, this Killer is perfect for newcomers, as he does not require any extra cash investment or the accumulation of in-game currency. Also, a new player might naturally assume that the Killers included with the vanilla version are designed to ease them into the game, but that is not really the case. Sure, The Wraith is probably the most beginner-friendly Killer in Dead by Daylight, but his companions are considerably harder.

Simply put, The Hillbilly is one of the hardest Dead by Daylight Killers, and that goes for both original and licensed characters. Most Killers come with a learning curve, but Max’s version is not only steep but also punishes inexperienced players specifically. If you don’t have a good understanding of maps, Survivors’ behavior, and chasing, The Hillbilly can be downright frustrating, and starting with him could put new players off the game entirely. That’s not to say that this Killer is not worth mastering, but do not start with him.

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Is The Hillbilly A Viable DBD Killer In 2026?

We have talked about whether Hillbilly is a good option for beginners, but now we should discuss arguably an even more important point: Is Max Thompson Jr. worth the effort in 2026? Once somebody grows familiar with the core mechanics and is ready to jump up to a harder Killer, should they consider Hillbilly as an option? They will have him available already, so price is not an issue; however, time is the main commodity here. You will need to invest days of your life into mastering his skillset, which would be wasted if it amounts to a mediocre Killer.

Let’s just answer the question. Yes, Hillbilly is a great Killer in 2026. Honestly, he is probably in the top 5, which is saying something considering DBD has amassed more than 40 characters.

Exceptional Map Mobility

The biggest positive in Max’s favor is that he gets around quickly. Chainsaw Spring provides an extremely fast way to traverse maps, allowing him to patrol generators, react well to Survivor behavior, and maintain pressure more effectively than most other Killers. He is pure aggression and a constant threat that will always have Survivors on the edge of their seats.

Instant Down Potential

Typically, Killers need two hits to down Survivors, giving the latter some room for error. Hillbilly is one of the exceptions, as he can one-hit characters, allowing him to instantly punish mistakes. While this won’t make too much of a difference against very seasoned Survivors who know exactly what to do, Hillbilly pounces on players who either panic or misread situations.

Strong Survivor Counterplay

The last point leads directly into this weakness. Hillbilly’s mechanics are difficult to master but rewarding in the long run; however, he has a pretty well-established formula that works on most maps. Consequently, experienced Survivors will likely know how to manage and counter Max’s strengths. He is vulnerable to tight loops or line-of-sight blockers, both of which reduce his ability to land chainsaw hits. He also works best on larger maps with long sightlines, rather than on cluttered ones.

Alternative Killers To Play Instead of Hillbilly

While I would recommend Max over (almost) all the following Killers, they are worth trying if you want somebody a bit similar but has their own strengths.

The Blight – Here is the only Killer that I would put above Hillbilly, as he is a similar high-mobility character with intense chase pressure. He also comes with a steep learning curve.
The Oni – This Killer requires more setup to activate his full potential, but Oni is another powerful one-hit character who can get around maps quickly.
The Nurse – Another top-tier Killer, the Nurse’s blink system means she plays differently than nearly every other character in the game, including Hillbilly. She is extremely difficult to learn and master, but her ceiling is higher than Hillbilly’s.
The Cannibal (AKA Leatherface) – Considering Hillbilly is based on Leatherface, we need to mention Bubba. Despite their obvious similarities, their mechanics are quite different, with Leatherface emphasizing area control. Hillbilly is the superior Killer.